Electronic Hookah

ABSTRACT

Certain embodiments of the invention relate to a portable hookah. The portable hookah may include at least one longitudinal member. The member may include an energy source coupled to the member. The member may be configured to receive at least one vaporizable element. The vaporizable element may include tobacco or non-tobacco products. The element may be configured to be vaporized by a heat source. The member may also include at least one chamber for channeling the vapor to the outside environment through at least one mouthpiece

PRIORITY CLAIMS

This application claims priority to provisional application No. 61/962,599, which was filed on Nov. 8, 2014.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a portable electronic hookah.

BACKGROUND

In recent years, it has become popular among some to smoke through a hookah, also known as a water pipe. A hookah is a large, free-standing apparatus that uses air pressure from a smoker sucking on a mouthpiece at the end of a long flexible use (see FIGS. 1 to 3) to have air push smoke (from burning tobacco located in an upper portion of the apparatus) through water (in a vase portion of the apparatus) to filter and cool the smoke and then the smoke passes to the smoker's mouth through the hose and mouthpiece. The hookah is also known as a “hubble-bubble.” The smoke is released at the bottom of the water and bubbles up to the surface, where it then may pass into the hose.

A hookah generally has a bowl, which contains hot coal to heat air that passes into the bowl. A windscreen may be placed over the bowl. Tobacco is placed in a bottom portion of the bowl. A plate is under the bowl to receive any falling ash from the coals. A body tube or conduit, normally rigid, may be connected to the plate at an upper end and communicate with a passage through the bowl. At the body tube's lower end, there is a water jar into which the body tube extends and is immersed into the water in the jar. There is an air inlet valve that communicates with air in the water jar above the water line. There is also an outlet from the jar to a long hose leading to a mouthpiece on which the smoker sucks. Upon a smoker inhaling through the mouthpiece and thus the hose, air is pulled down through the charcoal, where the air is heated, and then the heated air is pulled into the lower portion of the bowl holding the tobacco. The hot air vaporizes the tobacco, thereby producing smoke. The smoke is goes down through the body tube into the water. Then, the smoke bubbles up through the water, which receives heat from the smoke and helps filter the smoke. The smoke then fills the top part of the water jar. The smoker's inhaling on the mouthpiece will make the smoke pass through the tube and into the smoker's mouth. There is a reduction in air pressure in the jar when this happens, thus pulling more air through the charcoal, continuing the process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the invention may include a portable hookah. According to certain embodiments, a portable hookah may include at least one longitudinal member. The member may include an energy source coupled to the member. The member may be configured to receive at least one vaporizable element. The vaporizable element may include tobacco or non-tobacco products. The element may be configured to be vaporized by a heat source. The member may also include at least one chamber for channeling the vapor to the outside environment through at least one mouthpiece. When a user inhales the vapor, the user pulls the smoke through the chamber and the mouthpiece. According to certain embodiments, the invention may include a portable smoke pipe. The smoke pipe may include at least one mouthpiece coupled to a housing. The housing may include at least one heat source for heating a vaporizable material, and at least one energy source for operating the heat source. The portable smoke pipe may also include at least one container for holding a substance vaporizable by the heater and to be smoked. The mouthpiece may be communicating with container for receiving the vaporized substance in response to a smoker inhaling through the mouthpiece. The housing may be elongated. The housing may be in the form of a tube section of sufficient size to be held in a palm of an adult and having a cross section of a typical hookah tube. The mouthpiece and tube may be separable for inserting and removing the container. The container may be in the form of a cartridge.

According to other embodiments, the housing may be at least one inch in diameter. According to other embodiments, the housing may be at least one and one half inch in diameter. According to other embodiments, the housing may be at least two inches in diameter. According to other embodiments, the housing may be at least two and one half inches in diameter. According to other embodiments, the housing may be at least three inches in diameter. According to other embodiments, the housing may be six inches in diameter at a maximum. According to other embodiments, the housing is four inches in diameter at a maximum. According to other embodiments, the portable hookah may include plurality of chambers. According to other embodiments, the portable hookah may include at least one speaker for producing certain sounds. According to other embodiments, the portable hookah may include a scanner for scanning finger prints. According to other embodiments, the portable hookah may include at least one processor. According to other embodiments, the portable hookah may include at least one computer chip.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a typical hookah;

FIG. 2 is a side view of another typical hookah;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a further typical hookah;

FIG. 4 is a schematic side partially cut away view of an electronic hookah;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view and an exterior view of another electronic cigarette;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a mouthpiece for a hookah device;

FIG. 7 is a side view of an electronic hookah in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of an electronic hookah in accordance with certain embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to certain embodiments, the invention may include a portable electronic hookah. The hookah may include at least one mouthpiece connected to a housing, at least one heater stored in the housing. The hookah may include at least one energy source, such a battery, operatively coupled the housing for operating the heater.

Other embodiments may include a cartridge mechanism for containing a substance vaporizable by the heater and to be smoked, the mouthpiece communicating with the cartridge mechanism for receiving the vaporized substance in response to a smoker inhaling through the mouthpiece. The housing may be in a form of a tube section of sufficient size to be held in a palm of an adult and may be having a cross section of a typical hookah tube. The mouthpiece and hookah tube may be separable for inserting and removing the cartridge mechanism. Certain embodiment is shown in FIG. 7. The mouthpiece may be integral or unitary with the coupling. The coupling may thread or snap onto the body/tube or otherwise connect to the tube. The coupling could be its own piece as well, with the mouthpiece connecting to it and the tube connecting to it, or the coupling could be unitary with the tube or otherwise attached. The end cap may be threaded or otherwise attached or unitary with the tube.

As shown in FIG. 8, inner structure of the electronic hookah may resemble that of an electronic cigarette but preferably with greater capacity/size. An LED mechanism may be included. However, the LED mechanism may still be included as it is also a useful way to indicate proper operation of the device and low battery or other issues. The mouthpiece may house a removable cartridge mechanism, e.g., a single cartridge or multiple cartridges.

The inner structure's cartridge mechanism may be located in the mouthpiece. Alternatively, given that the device is preferable significantly longer than a cigarette, the cartridge mechanism could be housed in the tube. The cartridge mechanism may be adapted to hold fluids that may have low boiling temperatures. The fluid may include propylene glycol (PG) and/or vegetable glycerin (VG) and/or polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG400), combinations, other alternative fluids, and/or often mixed with flavors. Optionally, a variable percent of a liquid nicotine concentrate may be used. Various flavors which resemble the taste of regular tobacco smoke (from a hookah), menthol, vanilla, coffee, cola and various fruits may be provided, and this may include mixtures of flavors as is typically done in hookah smoking Nicotine concentration may vary from zero to larger amounts as desired. Nicotine-free solutions may be most desirable.

There is also an atomizing device typically containing a heating coil (like in an electronic cigarette) in liquid communication with an inserted cartridge. Suitable mechanisms for such communication would be evident to those of ordinary skill in the art, and may include, e.g., a metal mesh dome or wick to bring controlled amounts of liquid to the heating coil.

According to certain embodiments, the portable hookah may include sensors. Upon inhaling on the open/free end of the mouthpiece, a pressure sensor/voltage controller (PS/VC) senses the change in pressure and in response thereto electrically connects the battery to the heating coil via electrical connectors and wires, as in electronic cigarettes. The battery may be rechargeable or single use. The air pressure change (lower air pressure in the body/tube and mouthpiece in response to a smoker/user inhaling) may directly, or also through the PS/VC connection being enabled, cause liquid from the cartridge to leave an opening in the cartridge, wick to the heating coil, and be vaporized, whereupon the vapor escapes through the mouthpiece in a passage or passages/opening between the cartridge and the rest of the mouthpiece (or body/tube if the cartridge is in the body/tube).

The heating coil and cartridge mechanism may be made in one piece. There could also be, in lieu of the PS/VC, a button on the outside of the electronic hookah that causes atomization. The user presses the button, ideally when the user is inhaling or about to inhale. To simulate the fact that the smoke is cool in a hookah, the vapor may already be sufficiently cool.

For simulating a hookah, the dimensions of the electronic hookah may be comparable in diameter to a hookah hose and a hookah mouthpiece, and the dimensions of the mouthpiece length may be the same or similar to a hookah mouthpiece. The length of the body/tube (housing) may preferably be at least as long as the width of most human hands (so that it may be grasped like a hookah) and although it could be fairly long, preferably the entire length (mouthpiece and tube) may be no more than twelve to eighteen inches long.

The length of the tube may be in a range of two and a half inches to eighteen inches and may be three inches to twelve inches.

The length of the mouthpiece may be in a range of one inch to eight inches and may be two to six inches.

The length of the mouthpiece and tube together may be in a range of three and a half inches to twenty-six inches and may be five to eighteen inches.

In other embodiments, the housing may be at least one inch in diameter, at least one and one half inch in diameter, at least two inches in diameter, at least two and one half inches in diameter or at least three inches in diameter and a maximum of at least three inches in diameter, four, five or six inches in diameter.

Although the invention has been described using specific terms, devices, and/or methods, such description is for illustrative purposes of the preferred embodiment(s) only. Changes may be made to the preferred embodiment(s) by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. In addition, it should be understood that aspects of the preferred embodiment(s) generally may be interchanged in whole or in part. 

We claim:
 1. A portable smoking device including an elongated housing having a proximal end and a distal end, the housing including at least one energy source, and at least one storage element including vaporizable material, the at least one storage element being operatively connected to the at least one energy source for vaporizing the material, and at least one mouth piece connected to the proximal end for allowing the vapor to flow out through the at least one mouth piece. 